Guard soldiers fight to save MO town from flood
Soldiers bulk up a sandbag levy to help fight encroaching floodwaters in Clarksville, MO.
http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/062008_clark_flood/
The United Female Veterans of America convention is this weekend in St. Louis. Thanks National Guards! With you there saving the towns, I'm not worried about going there now.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Soldier, found unconscious, dies at Schofield
Soldier, found unconscious, dies at Schofield
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 8:59:15 EDT
HONOLULU — A 25th Infantry Division soldier died after being found unconscious and not breathing at Schofield Barracks, the Army said.
The Army says the incident is under investigation and is withholding the soldier’s name until it notifies the soldier’s next of kin.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_schofield_062408/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 8:59:15 EDT
HONOLULU — A 25th Infantry Division soldier died after being found unconscious and not breathing at Schofield Barracks, the Army said.
The Army says the incident is under investigation and is withholding the soldier’s name until it notifies the soldier’s next of kin.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_schofield_062408/
Mental Health.net takes on Perez email
When it's used to address the need for further testing then it's an appropriate diagnosis. But if it's used for political purposes - like to save the VA from having to pay out money to a disabled veteran - then that amounts to malpractice.
Mental Health Web Site Addresses Differences in Diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder and PTSD in Veterans Mental Health
MentalHelp.Net addresses the controversial email from Dr. Norma Perez and urges better care for soldiers at VA Hospitals.
(PRWEB) June 24, 2008 -- On March 20th Dr. Norma Perez, mental health specialist and coordinator of her hospital's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinical team, sent a startling email to her staff.
"Given that we are having more and more compensation seeking veterans," she wrote. "I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out. Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder."
click post title for more
Homeless veterans important issue to Adm. Mike Mullen
Chairman Calls Homeless Veterans ‘Hugely Important Issue’
By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff
Calling the issue "hugely important," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today said the nation must fully integrate efforts to help homeless veterans.
"How do we reach out to them, and how do we create opportunities?" Navy Adm. Mike Mullen asked an audience of about 200 members of various organizations that make up the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in a speech at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C.
"I consider [homeless veterans] to be a hugely important issue," Mullen said. "We need to do everything we can, as a country, to fully integrate our efforts to understand and help those – our veterans – who have given so much."
The coalition, which is holding its annual convention this week, is dedicated to strengthening and increasing funding for homeless veteran assistance programs, ranging from employment to housing issues. It provides information about program development and administration, as well as governance and funding guidance to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers, according to the organization’s Web site.
Mullen shared his appreciation for the coalition and its work.
"I am incredibly grateful for what you do and keeping [homeless veteran] issues bubbling; not just based on homeless veterans of [the war on terror], but of the entire population and past wars," he said.
click post title for more
White River Junction:Peake answers questions at town hall
Home / News / Local / N.H.
In Vermont, new VA chief hears complaints from veterans
By John Curran
Associated Press Writer / June 23, 2008
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.—Some had beefs about their medical care. Some came to say how great their doctors and nurses were.
Some wanted an answer about a claim, or to find out what Uncle Sam was doing for homeless veterans. One wanted to know where his military records were.
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake got an earful Monday as about 250 people -- aging veterans, spouses, VA employees -- turned out for the second of two Town Hall-style meetings organized by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. About 175 turned out for an earlier one in South Burlington.
Peake, a West Point graduate and former military surgeon who took the job six months ago, opened the 90-minute meeting at the White River Junction VA Medical Center by telling those gathered for the meeting that his priorities are making the soldier-to-civilian transition a smoother one.
The VA, which employs about 250,000 people and has an annual budget of $80 billion, must improve its "outmoded" system of processing claims and go to a paperless system, he said.
When he opened the room up for a question-and-answer session, no one was shy about calling him on the carpet.
click post title for more
You have to give Peake some credit because he is trying a lot harder than Nicholson ever did.
In Vermont, new VA chief hears complaints from veterans
By John Curran
Associated Press Writer / June 23, 2008
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.—Some had beefs about their medical care. Some came to say how great their doctors and nurses were.
Some wanted an answer about a claim, or to find out what Uncle Sam was doing for homeless veterans. One wanted to know where his military records were.
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake got an earful Monday as about 250 people -- aging veterans, spouses, VA employees -- turned out for the second of two Town Hall-style meetings organized by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. About 175 turned out for an earlier one in South Burlington.
Peake, a West Point graduate and former military surgeon who took the job six months ago, opened the 90-minute meeting at the White River Junction VA Medical Center by telling those gathered for the meeting that his priorities are making the soldier-to-civilian transition a smoother one.
The VA, which employs about 250,000 people and has an annual budget of $80 billion, must improve its "outmoded" system of processing claims and go to a paperless system, he said.
When he opened the room up for a question-and-answer session, no one was shy about calling him on the carpet.
click post title for more
You have to give Peake some credit because he is trying a lot harder than Nicholson ever did.
Homeless woman killed by hit and run driver in Vegas
“The next time you see a homeless person,” she said, “I'd like for you to remember me and know that person probably has a family member somewhere who loves them.”
Dead Vegas homeless woman's family tells sad tale
LAS VEGAS – When Karin Solomonson saw the 702 area code on her telephone, the North Carolina resident assumed it was her beloved Aunt BeBe calling from the streets of Las Vegas.
Instead, it was the Clark County coroner's office, calling to notify Solomonson about the death of her 65-year-old aunt, Cora Angie Law.
Police said they were still looking for the large gray or burgundy sport utility vehicle with chrome rims and large tires that hit Law, who investigators think was in a crosswalk.
click post title for more
If anyone saw this or knows who did it, remember, this woman had people who loved her, but she didn't have a place to call her home. Call the police and let them know what you know. Her life had meaning and her death should not be seen as "no big deal" just because she was homeless.
Canadian Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress
Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress
Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Monday, June 23
WINNIPEG - A Canadian soldier was suffering from a serious mental disorder caused by several factors - including his time spent in Afghanistan - when he repeatedly assaulted his six-month-old triplet sons, a Winnipeg court heard Monday.
Psychologist David Kolton submitted a 21-page report to the court providing a detailed look into the mind of the 25-year-old father, who has pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
Provincial court Judge Marvin Garfinkel is expected to sentence the man Tuesday afternoon. He is seeking time served - nine months - plus probation, while the Crown wants him to serve an additional 18 months behind bars.
Defence lawyer Rod Brecht told the court Monday his client didn't intend to inflict pain on his baby boys and was actually stunned to see the extent of their injuries.
The tiny victims were suffering from a total of 19 broken bones when they were taken to hospital last September. They have since recovered.
The father - a Winnipeg-based soldier who can't be named to protect the children's identities - was already dealing with a number of difficult personal issues when he joined the military in 2001, including being abandoned by his own father at a young age, court was told.
He was deployed to Kandahar in 2006 for a 3 1/2-month tour and came back a much different person, said Kolton, psychologist.
The soldier's job was to load equipment on to military planes and trucks and he became extremely frustrated by the lack of front-line action he saw.
That resulted in various run-ins with authority during which his explosive temper quickly took over.
"I wanted to get out there and do something. I knew many of the infantry . . . I could see it in their eyes that they expected more from me. I felt helpless," he told Kolton.
He also got into trouble during a sidetrip to Budapest in which he claims to have been drugged in a bar, beaten and robbed.
click post title for more
Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Monday, June 23
WINNIPEG - A Canadian soldier was suffering from a serious mental disorder caused by several factors - including his time spent in Afghanistan - when he repeatedly assaulted his six-month-old triplet sons, a Winnipeg court heard Monday.
Psychologist David Kolton submitted a 21-page report to the court providing a detailed look into the mind of the 25-year-old father, who has pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.
Provincial court Judge Marvin Garfinkel is expected to sentence the man Tuesday afternoon. He is seeking time served - nine months - plus probation, while the Crown wants him to serve an additional 18 months behind bars.
Defence lawyer Rod Brecht told the court Monday his client didn't intend to inflict pain on his baby boys and was actually stunned to see the extent of their injuries.
The tiny victims were suffering from a total of 19 broken bones when they were taken to hospital last September. They have since recovered.
The father - a Winnipeg-based soldier who can't be named to protect the children's identities - was already dealing with a number of difficult personal issues when he joined the military in 2001, including being abandoned by his own father at a young age, court was told.
He was deployed to Kandahar in 2006 for a 3 1/2-month tour and came back a much different person, said Kolton, psychologist.
The soldier's job was to load equipment on to military planes and trucks and he became extremely frustrated by the lack of front-line action he saw.
That resulted in various run-ins with authority during which his explosive temper quickly took over.
"I wanted to get out there and do something. I knew many of the infantry . . . I could see it in their eyes that they expected more from me. I felt helpless," he told Kolton.
He also got into trouble during a sidetrip to Budapest in which he claims to have been drugged in a bar, beaten and robbed.
click post title for more
PTSD Is Normal
Opinion piece on Chattanoogan.com
Denny Haldeman
Soddy Daisy
PTSD Is Normal
posted June 23, 2008
The recent coverage of Post Traumatic Stress "Disorder" in veterans is long overdue and brings out important aspects of this affliction that affects millions of veterans, their families and friends, as well as others in our society. I am compelled to ponder this in honor of yet another brother who finally succumbed to a war wound of the soul long ago, who found final peace by his own hand.
By calling post traumatic stress, this natural response to the fight or flight chemistry of our brains, a "disorder," it automatically stigmatizes those who are affected by PTSD. It's no wonder that half of our recent veterans affected by PTSD will not seek help for now, in large part because of that stigma of a "disorder" or a weakness, and the implications that go with it professionally and personally. The psychological/emotion/physical response to the horrors of war are every bit as much a wound to be expected, as the bullet or bomb that mangle the physical bodies of those thrust into harm's way.
go here for more
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_130325.asp
Denny Haldeman
Soddy Daisy
PTSD Is Normal
posted June 23, 2008
The recent coverage of Post Traumatic Stress "Disorder" in veterans is long overdue and brings out important aspects of this affliction that affects millions of veterans, their families and friends, as well as others in our society. I am compelled to ponder this in honor of yet another brother who finally succumbed to a war wound of the soul long ago, who found final peace by his own hand.
By calling post traumatic stress, this natural response to the fight or flight chemistry of our brains, a "disorder," it automatically stigmatizes those who are affected by PTSD. It's no wonder that half of our recent veterans affected by PTSD will not seek help for now, in large part because of that stigma of a "disorder" or a weakness, and the implications that go with it professionally and personally. The psychological/emotion/physical response to the horrors of war are every bit as much a wound to be expected, as the bullet or bomb that mangle the physical bodies of those thrust into harm's way.
go here for more
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_130325.asp
Monday, June 23, 2008
Disgruntled Official kills 2 US wounds 4
UPDATE from earlier post
Disgruntled official kills 2 soldiers in Iraq
By Robert H. Reid - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:58:14 EDT
BAGHDAD — A disgruntled local official opened fire Monday on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four other Americans, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The assailant died in a hail of gunfire after the attack, which occurred in the town of Madain, also known as Salman Pak, about 15 miles south of Baghdad in an area with a history of Sunni-Shiite tension.
U.S. officials confirmed two American soldiers died and that four Americans, including a civilian interpreter, were wounded. However, the U.S. officials released no further details except that the assailant was killed.
Iraqi police and witnesses said the attack took place in front of the Madain municipal building where the Americans had come to confer with local authorities.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_iraq_062308/
Disgruntled official kills 2 soldiers in Iraq
By Robert H. Reid - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:58:14 EDT
BAGHDAD — A disgruntled local official opened fire Monday on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four other Americans, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The assailant died in a hail of gunfire after the attack, which occurred in the town of Madain, also known as Salman Pak, about 15 miles south of Baghdad in an area with a history of Sunni-Shiite tension.
U.S. officials confirmed two American soldiers died and that four Americans, including a civilian interpreter, were wounded. However, the U.S. officials released no further details except that the assailant was killed.
Iraqi police and witnesses said the attack took place in front of the Madain municipal building where the Americans had come to confer with local authorities.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_iraq_062308/
When drinking is a symptom and not the problem with PTSD
Triple threat: Young macho men with serious injuries often abuse alcohol
Men with serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, must deal with a range of emotions. If these men have strong traditional masculine ideas and abuse alcohol, it becomes even more difficult to help them heal and come to terms with their emotions and situations. A University of Missouri psychology researcher studied these challenging factors to find better ways to understand and treat men who fit this mold, such as the injured soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alcohol Intervention - Effective Alcohol Intervention. Inpatient Rehab Program Available.
www.DrugRehabCenter.com
“It is really a triple whammy,” said Glenn Good, professor of educational, school and counseling psychology in the MU College of Education. “Counselors face many challenges when it comes to helping men deal with emotions surrounding serious injuries. Newly injured men often face adjustments in the level of personal assistance they require, and this may result in struggles with some aspect of the traditional masculine role, such as a ‘go it alone’ mentality. When three factors - injury, traditional male role and alcohol abuse - occur together, the rehabilitation process may be a challenge. In this study, we examined the combination of all three factors with the aim of better understanding how to treat men with several challenges.”
go here for more
http://www.physorg.com/news127057610.html
When drinking is a symptom and not the problem with PTSD
This article is very good but it misses something that really gets forgotten when the problem is actually PTSD and not an addiction.
Vietnam veterans went in and out of drug and alcohol rehabs in droves for years. None of the programs worked and they went right back to their drug of choice all over again. In this case, the drug of choice is actually a replacement for the medication they need. This is called self-medicating. Most think that if they drink to get drunk, they're drunks or if they use drugs, they're drug addicts. When they also happen to have PTSD, they are addicted to the relief they get by killing off feelings and calming down jumping nerves.
Culture, especially in this age group, does in fact leave them feeling indestructible, especially when they have just survived combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. Additional problems not addressed nearly enough is reckless driving, endangering others as well as their own lives. Speeding in a car and on motorcycles have lead to many deaths yet very few are looking at the cause behind these kinds of impaired decisions. Part of it could be the age but part of it could be PTSD when decision making skills are lost in translation.
If a combat veteran with PTSD is not treated for PTSD, then this leads to all kinds of additional problems as well as medical attention that will not work properly. AA works great for people addicted to alcohol and there have been reports through the years that this kind of approach also works with PTSD veterans but these are reports and very little controlled studies have been done on relief that comes without the traditional treatments for PTSD. What really needs to be known first is what the mental health of the individual is to know if there are other problems other than just being reckless, irresponsible and lacking self control.
Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, First female nominated to become 4 star
First female nominated to become four-star
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:55:05 EDT
Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, deputy commander and chief of staff of U.S. Army Material Command, is poised to become the first female four-star general in the U.S. military, according to an Army press release.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that the White House has nominated Dunwoody for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commanding general of AMC at Fort Belvoir, Va.
“This is an important day for the Dunwoody family, the military and the Nation,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey said in the release. “Lt. Gen. Dunwoody’s nomination not only underscores her significant contributions and success throughout 33 years of service, but also shows the level of possible opportunity in our Army’s diverse, quality all-volunteer force.”
Approximately five percent of general officers in the Army are women, which includes mobilized Army Reserve and Army National Guard general officers, the Army release said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/army_dunwoody_062308w/
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:55:05 EDT
Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, deputy commander and chief of staff of U.S. Army Material Command, is poised to become the first female four-star general in the U.S. military, according to an Army press release.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that the White House has nominated Dunwoody for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commanding general of AMC at Fort Belvoir, Va.
“This is an important day for the Dunwoody family, the military and the Nation,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey said in the release. “Lt. Gen. Dunwoody’s nomination not only underscores her significant contributions and success throughout 33 years of service, but also shows the level of possible opportunity in our Army’s diverse, quality all-volunteer force.”
Approximately five percent of general officers in the Army are women, which includes mobilized Army Reserve and Army National Guard general officers, the Army release said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/army_dunwoody_062308w/
LA needs to find a place for homeless to park
L.A. seeing more people living out of their cars
By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press Writer
Monday, June 23, 2008
(06-23) 12:24 PDT LOS ANGELES, (AP) --
Having lost her job and her three-bedroom house, Darlene Knoll has joined the legions of downwardly mobile who are four wheels away from homelessness.
She is living out of her shabby 1978 RV, and every night she has to look for a place to park where she won't get hassled by the cops or insulted by residents.
"I'm not a piece of trash," the former home health care aide said as she stroked one of five dogs in her cramped quarters parked in the waterfront community of Marina del Rey.
Amid the foreclosure crisis and the shaky economy, some California cities are seeing an increase in the number of people living out of their cars, vans or RVs.
Acting on complaints from homeowners, the Los Angeles City Council got tough earlier this year by forbidding nearly all overnight parking in residential neighborhoods such as South Brentwood.
But some people are just crowding into other parts of the city, including the seaside community of Venice, where dozens of rusty, dilapidated campers can be seen lined up outside neat single-family homes. The stench of urine emanates from a few of the vehicles, and some residents say they have seen human waste left behind.
click post title for more
They can complain all they want but it won't solve the problem as long as people keep losing their homes and have no place else to go. The residents have a right to be upset but if they were unlucky enough to lose their house, it's very doubtful they would have the same opinion on the homeless.
There has to be some empty parking lots these people can go to at night with some facilities to take care of their personal needs. What's so hard about doing something like that? It would cost the city a lot less time and money having them park on a lot than in front of someone's house who is likely to complain. How about a little human kindness and a whole lot of common sense on this one?
Summer camps for veterans' kids help ease strains
Summer camps for veterans' kids help ease strains
By MARY HUDETZ
The Associated Press
Monday, June 23, 2008; 4:19 AM
LARKSPUR, Colo. -- At a dining hall filled with the chatter of summer campers eating lunch, the photos on one wall bear witness that this is no ordinary camp.
Pictures of mothers and fathers in uniform are adorned with notes in the bubbly penmanship of youngsters whose parents have or will serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"My dad," reads a note taped to the photo of a man in Air Force uniform. Another, written in thick, red marker: "So me and my brother all have to be strong and make sacrifices for my dad because we all want him to come back."
About 100 youths are attending this free, weeklong camp in the tiny Rocky Mountain town of Larkspur organized by the National Military Family Association. The association is hosting 10,000 campers in 37 states this summer _ up from 1,000 youths at 12 camps when the program began in 2004.
click post title for more
By MARY HUDETZ
The Associated Press
Monday, June 23, 2008; 4:19 AM
LARKSPUR, Colo. -- At a dining hall filled with the chatter of summer campers eating lunch, the photos on one wall bear witness that this is no ordinary camp.
Pictures of mothers and fathers in uniform are adorned with notes in the bubbly penmanship of youngsters whose parents have or will serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"My dad," reads a note taped to the photo of a man in Air Force uniform. Another, written in thick, red marker: "So me and my brother all have to be strong and make sacrifices for my dad because we all want him to come back."
About 100 youths are attending this free, weeklong camp in the tiny Rocky Mountain town of Larkspur organized by the National Military Family Association. The association is hosting 10,000 campers in 37 states this summer _ up from 1,000 youths at 12 camps when the program began in 2004.
click post title for more
PTSD Drugs: Better Living through Chemistry
My friend Lily over at Healing Combat Trauma just did a great piece on medications you really should read.
PTSD Drugs: Better Living through Chemistry, or Purely Popping Pills for PTSD's Psychological Ills?
There was a story in the news recently about four young combat veterans in West Virginia, all seemingly in decent physical condition beforehand, who nevertheless all died in their sleep recently. Besides combat PTSD, one thing the vets all had in common was the cocktail of drugs they were taking: Paxil, Klonopin and Seroquel. (The Charleston, West Virginia Gazette-Mail reported this story on May 24, 2008 - it's linked here.) An investigation is pending, but the story obviously raises the question: what are vets with PTSD being prescribed, and is it really working, or what's best? (Continue reading, and you'll learn more about those specific medications as well.)
---
Where to go for information about PTSD medications? Here are a few, carefully-chosen selections, and their pros and cons - as appropriate:
go here for more
http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/06/ptsd-drugs-better-living-through-chemistry.html
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